Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Wistful Wednesday: Grandpa Sam’s Sisters

Growing up I knew my Paternal Grandfather had seven brothers…but I didn’t know he had five sisters.  Of course four sisters would die before I was born so maybe that had something to do with it…. that and not being interested in “old people” at the time. 

Greta “Maria”  Born Nov 16, 1886 and died December 10, 1886  (Probably from what we know today as a crib death)

Maria or Mary Born October 10, 1887 and died June 17, 1938  Maria was 15 years old when she got married. ( It was common to repeat a name, it was meant with the utmost respect…but it is a pain in the neck for relatives searching for family information.)

Ethel born June 2, 1901 and died June 29, 1931.  She drown in Toad Lake while swimming with her brother in law Arthur who had recently been widowed.  (He also drowned that day) It was reported that a family member heard spiritual singing that day…and yes I believe she did.

Ethyl Yliniemi (2)
Ethel
Ethel G.
Esther was born December 9, 1903 and died December 23, 1930.  She was married to Arthur Larson.  They had a child named William who died and is buried supposedly in Leed South Dakota, I can find no record of his birth or death or a grave.  Another baby was born and died and is supposedly buried in Astoria Oregon but I cannot find that child’s records either.   Esther died from complications ( kidney poisoning) during a third pregnancy. Arthur returned her body to Minnesota for burial. (He drown with Ethel six months later.)
Esther Yliniemi Larson (2)
Esther and Arthur Larson

Ida Matilda was born September 29, 1905 and died January 21, 1983.  I remember her son Harold who was blind, but Ida herself…I cannot come up with one memory.

All the deaths must have been hard on my Great Grandmother Margaretta “Greta” before she died in 1944 at the age of 76 she would bury baby Greta in 1886, Esther in 1930, Ethel in 1931 and Maria (Mary) in 1938.  On December 9 1932 she would also prepare to bury her husband.
I bet she wished she could just by pass those first years in the 1930’s.
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21 comments:

  1. I agree with you! I believe the family member heard spiritual singing. Your poor Great-grandmother! Oh my! So much to go through.

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  2. So many tragedies in one family. I guess it was more common then, but still. You cannot help but wonder how she managed to cope. I hear you about wishing those first years of the 1930s could have been bypassed. Sigh.

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  3. I've always thought real life was much more interesting than soap operas. Can you believe what that generation went through? That is so strange about the the 2 drownings. I wonder what happened? That poor woman to lose so many. I can't imagine it was any easier back then and how do you "carry on" without it taking the joy out of you forever? I think there are some things that happen that you just never get over completely. I remember my 96 year old Aunt stating that she had seen enough and was ready to "go". I think it gets that way after awhile. Almost everyone she cared about had already passed over.

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  4. Life was and is tough.

    A wonderful and sad chapter for your family history.

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  5. So many now enjoy geneology, as we also have friends who are very much involved. How sad to lose so many children, and within such a short amount of time, then her husband. She must have remained strong to continue on for that long. The drowning was very sad.

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  6. That was a lot of loss in one side of the family. I had a first cousin who went out to the Thayer lake without permission with a bunch of boys on bicycles and drowned. Their one and only child.

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  7. How sad for her, I feel like I will know all of the past family
    when I get to haven.Genealogy has been so additive I loved looking
    for them all.

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  8. Oh so sad, life was sure hard and is.Blessings Francine.

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  9. Here's a hint for you Connie. While researching my families, I came to realize that often the purchase of a cemetery plot is recorded in land records. Might help you locate some lost graves.

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  10. LARSON, BABY -- Male child born Aug. 20, 1925, Astoria, Ore. Died Aug. 23, 1925, Astoria, Ore. Father: Arthur Larson (b. Minnesota). Mother: Esther Yliniemi (b. Minnesota). Burial at River View Cemetery.

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  11. Ethel was a gorgeous woman! How odd two people drowning the same time? Makes you wonder how it happened. Boat overturned or something?
    People expected more children to die a hundred years ago and more and more women died from childbirth, too. How sad.

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  12. It was a great loss for families. People died from things that would not be fatal today.

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  13. How difficult the 1930s must have been for your great grandmother. Odd you can't recall anything about your one great aunt; perhaps her blind son eclipsed all other memories???

    Glad you found that burial location for the baby boy. Why Oregon? Were they planning on moving there?

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    1. Jacqi, They lived in South Dakota and then Oregon for a few years:)

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  14. LARSON, MARY -- Born Dec. 21, 1930, Astoria, Ore. Died Dec. 23, 1930, Astoria, Ore. Father: Arthur H. Larson (b. Minnesota). Mother: Esther Yliniemi (b. Minnesota). Burial at Riverview Cemetery.
    LARSON, WALTER WILLIAM -- Born Aug. 20, 1928, Astoria, Ore. Died Aug. 23, 1929, Astoria, Ore. Father: Arthur Larson (b. Minnesota). Mother: Esther Yliniemi (b. Minnesota).

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    Replies
    1. Riverview Cemetery might now be known as Lewis and Clark Cemetery

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  15. Such a sad story but hardly uncommon in the "good old days".

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  16. My paternal grandmother raised eight children and had survived several of them when she passed at age 99. She gave birth to four more children that did not survive early childhood. Life was hard for poor folks back then.

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  17. What a sad post. Too many early deaths.

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Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments! If you have a question I will try to answer it here. I no longer accept anonymous comments. All comments will be approved before posting...due to spammers...may the fleas of a thousand camels infest every hair on his body. Connie